Video from the event, captured on YouTube, shows Armstrong cursing profusely after cutting a song short. He then goes on a profanity-filled rant, pointing to a sign indicating Green Day had only one minute left in its set, far shorter than he'd expected.

"You've got to be ... kidding me," said Armstrong, noting his longevity on the music scene and disparaging teen pop sensation Justin Bieber, who was not among the festival performers. "This is a ... joke."

Armstrong then slams his guitar on the stage, shredding it and tossing its remnants into the crowd. He then flashes his middle finger and walks off the stage.

Green Day references the meltdown in its website message.

"We would like everyone to know that our set was not cut short by Clear Channel and to apologize to those we offended at the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas," the band said. iHeartRadio is a division of Clear Channel Broadcasting.

It wasn't clear how the development would affect Green Day's upcoming tour, which is set to kick off in earnest November 26 in Seattle, though the band did say it "regretfully must postpone our upcoming promotional appearances."

After forming in 1987, the veteran punk band broke through in 1994 with the release of "Dookie," which sold 15 million and earned the band a Grammy for best alternative music performance.

Green Day continued to produce hit albums like "Insomniac," "Nimrod" and "Warning." In 2004, the band took another major step forward with the release of "American Idiot," which won a Grammy for best rock album and inspired a "rock opera" years later by the same name.

The rockers remained relevant in subsequent years, including capturing yet another Grammy in 2009 for the politically charged album "21st Century Breakdown."

The band is set to release yet another album, "Uno," on Tuesday. That will be followed by two others, "Dos" and "Tre," scheduled to come out November 13 and January 15, 2013, respectively.